Ishant Sharma: Mohammed Shami, Varun Aaron and I form India's best pace attack
Speedster Ishant Sharma has praised the Indian pace bowling outfit picked for the ongoing Adelaide Test against Australia, calling them the best attack that the country is likely to possess in the near future.
"According to me, this is the best fast bowling attack that India will probably have in the near future. I don't think there is any upcoming bowler in the fray who is capable of bowling 140-plus regularly," Ishant told BCCI TV.
"Along with pace you also need to have the understanding about your game, body and the ability to adapt and adjust according to the demand of the situation. That will give you more control over the ball. Pace with control is a lethal combination. These things come only with experience and our young pacers will get there soon," he added.
Owing to Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s ankle injury, as a result of which he will reportedly also miss the second Test against Australia in Brisbane, India opted for the trio of Ishant, Mohammed Shami and Varun Aaron for the ongoing Test. They impressed in patches during the first innings, but they were also guilty of bowling too many loose deliveries, conceding 517/7 in the process.
Defending the bowling unit, Ishant said: "This is their first tour to Australia. They didn't have any first-hand experience of how aggressively the Aussies bat. In England, you can get away with a little width because they would still defend it away. But that margin of error is very narrow with the Australians."
"Initially, our pacers didn't expect the wicket to be so slow - in Australia you expect more bounce and pace but that is not the case with this pitch. They figured that out eventually and changed their line of attack accordingly. They will learn with experience," he added.
With 58 Tests under the 26-year-old’s belt, having made his Test debut for India back in 2007, he is now quite clearly the senior bowler in the side and he is happy to share his experience with the youngsters.
"I am very aware about my game. When we come up with a plan as a bowling unit, every bowler has a different way of executing it. I think a lot about the plan and try to work around it in the nets in a way it would suit my bowling," he said.
"All the planning amounts to nothing if you don't implement it on the field. I was disciplined in the nets and brought that into the match. This whole process has helped me a lot in understanding myself better as a bowler and what I can do," he added.